Match-up Discussion Kitana Matchup Discussion Thread

[Mr. Mileena]

Mr. Mileena, in this combo:

f21, njp, 4fan, 4lift...

why do you go for 333lift in the corner instead of 4lift? It does less damage overall and it's not any easier.

I always thought it did more, but it looks way classier. lol

 

[BillStickers]

FREAKING REPTILE.

1. His d4 is almost as obnoxious as Mileena/Sonya and seems to beat Kit's d1, not to mention it can link into Acid Hand.
2. Slow force ball beats all of Kitana's wake up options.
3. 3 2 1~EX Elbow Dash. Builds crazy meter, is +5 on block, easily mixed up with throws and slides.
4. Zoning is a non-option.
5. By the time I notice that I blocked an Elbow Dash, I eat an EX Elbow Dash when I try to punish.
6. Jumping in/crossing up is impossible.
7. Forceball + slide + invisibility + elbow pressure. I can't even.

Oh and just so I'm being fair, here are Kitana's supposed resources:

1. She can outpoke him. Great -- I've done 0.5% worth of damage with a d3 (blocked d1 = free Elbow Dash), but how do I follow this up (especially if Reptile is ducking and keeping in mind that Elbow Dash beats Throw)?
2. She can blow up Elbow Dash -- OK, but good Reptiles don't just throw out Elbow Dashes. They're usually thrown out following a Force Ball.

On top of all of this, I find it insanely hard to build meter in this match (you know, aside from taking damage -__-). I'd probably be a lot better off if I could afford to punish Force Balls with EX fan. Is there any way to build meter in this matchup?

 

[xKhaoTik]

FREAKING REPTILE.

1. His d4 is almost as obnoxious as Mileena/Sonya and seems to beat Kit's d1, not to mention it can link into Acid Hand. His d4 can be a problem, but its not to bad. Try to bait out the d4 and then punish the whiff with either ex fan toss or f21. If he connects with d4, block the slide and punish or fuzzy guard acid hand. Jump Kick ~ air fan blows up d4.
   
2. Slow force ball beats all of Kitana's wake up options. You shouldn't be waking up with kitana anyway. Her wake ups aren't to great and they can be punished by full combos if an opponent expects it. If Rep knocks kit down and is keeping pressure with slow force ball, her best bet is to use square wave on wake up, but then Rep can punish it when she lands. I honestly don't know what to do in this situation but block or use sweep since it goes under the orb.
   
3. 3 2 1~EX Elbow Dash. Builds crazy meter, is +5 on block, easily mixed up with throws and slides. You can jump out of the first blocked portion of ex dash or d1 it.
   
4. Zoning is a non-option. I wouldn't say that. Reptile still has to respect fans, she just cant resort to zoning a lot on this match due to orbs and spit. She can still zone tho, just not as effectively against other characters like CSZ and Sub.
   
5. By the time I notice that I blocked an Elbow Dash, I eat an EX Elbow Dash when I try to punish. This must be online. Offline, elbow dash is very easy to punish. It can be punished online too, but its harder due to lag. Best bet is to just throw him after a blocked dash online if you can punish it with a full combo.
   
6. Jumping in/crossing up is impossible. I don't really jump in this matchup. The only time I do find myself jumping is when I anticipate an orb and jump over it on reaction or when I anticipate a dash and I njp it. I do go for crossovers in this match since Rep players like to use d4 to lower their hitbox against a jump and I catch them with a jump kick ~ air fan.
   
7. Forceball + slide + invisibility + elbow pressure. I can't even. Again, this must be an online thing. Kitana can jump over the forceballs on reaction, use her sweep to duck it, or use ex iSquareWave to plow thru it. If Rep is charging a forceball up, ex fan toss stops it. The slide is very punishable, even online. I haven't fought to many reps that use invisibility, but whenever they use it in a block string, I d1 it on reaction. And elbow dash is a nuisance online, since its hard to punish. Respect his dash. When you are rushing him, take slight pauses to see of he will dash or poke, then punish.
   

Oh and just so I'm being fair, here are Kitana's supposed resources:

1. She can outpoke him. Great -- I've done 0.5% worth of damage with a d3 (blocked d1 = free Elbow Dash), but how do I follow this up (especially if Reptile is ducking and keeping in mind that Elbow Dash beats Throw)?
2. She can blow up Elbow Dash -- OK, but good Reptiles don't just throw out Elbow Dashes. They're usually thrown out following a Force Ball.

On top of all of this, I find it insanely hard to build meter in this match (you know, aside from taking damage -__-). I'd probably be a lot better off if I could afford to punish Force Balls with EX fan. Is there any way to build meter in this matchup?

Kitana should be building a lot of meter in this match since she's gonna do a lot of rushing and some zoning. If reptile makes a mistake, she can punish and her combos build a lot of meter since she uses a lot of special moves during her combos.

Edit: I left tips right next to your concerned statements

 

[PhilipGraves]

I played a good milleena and got nothing but touched. This milleena was able to stop almost every wake up attempt with a crossover roll after knockdown, even when I recovered, or jump in punch which lead into full combo on cutter and pretty kick wake up and knocked me out of the air on square boost. Every knockdown I had to stand back up in block and take a block string. I take it ex sai gives a lot of advantage because I could not d1 or 11 after it.

The only solution for her d4 I could find was to block 2 in a row and walk back, even then she was able to dash in and catch me with the tip but I had a decent amount of distance. Jumping back or crossover jumping knocked me out of the air into a combo every time. I take it ex sai gives her a lot of advantage can some one comment on follow ups after ex sai? I couldn't respond to most of her enders. I would get combed out of 2,1 and 1,1 and d1 would poke her back enough for her to safely crossover jump me or to d4 me a bunch of times then blocks things again. Thanks

My milleena ex telekick punish is d1~fan, dash 2~lift, double dash b2~fan, dash, fan, dash, 4~ cutter. If you're doing d1~ cutter as a punish you should try and learn this for some much need damage vs milleena.

 

[Konqrr]

I played a good milleena and got nothing but touched. This milleena was able to stop almost every wake up attempt with a crossover roll after knockdown, even when I recovered, or jump in punch which lead into full combo on cutter and pretty kick wake up and knocked me out of the air on square boost. Every knockdown I had to stand back up in block and take a block string. I take it ex sai gives a lot of advantage because I could not d1 or 11 after it.

The only solution for her d4 I could find was to block 2 in a row and walk back, even then she was able to dash in and catch me with the tip but I had a decent amount of distance. Jumping back or crossover jumping knocked me out of the air into a combo every time. I take it ex sai gives her a lot of advantage can some one comment on follow ups after ex sai? I couldn't respond to most of her enders. I would get combed out of 2,1 and 1,1 and d1 would poke her back enough for her to safely crossover jump me or to d4 me a bunch of times then blocks things again. Thanks

My milleena ex telekick punish is d1~fan, dash 2~lift, double dash b2~fan, dash, fan, dash, 4~ cutter. If you're doing d1~ cutter as a punish you should try and learn this for some much need damage vs milleena.

Stop jumping at Mileena.

Stand block and wait for an opportunity. She throws a sai, duck under it, then stand block again.

Advance on her like you would Kabal and stay out of d4 range.

Don't rush.

And most importantly, maximize your punishes to send the message that they can't do whatever they want to you, there are consequences.

 

[Mr. Mileena]

I played a good milleena and got nothing but touched. This milleena was able to stop almost every wake up attempt with a crossover roll after knockdown, even when I recovered, or jump in punch which lead into full combo on cutter and pretty kick wake up and knocked me out of the air on square boost. Every knockdown I had to stand back up in block and take a block string. I take it ex sai gives a lot of advantage because I could not d1 or 11 after it.

The only solution for her d4 I could find was to block 2 in a row and walk back, even then she was able to dash in and catch me with the tip but I had a decent amount of distance. Jumping back or crossover jumping knocked me out of the air into a combo every time. I take it ex sai gives her a lot of advantage can some one comment on follow ups after ex sai? I couldn't respond to most of her enders. I would get combed out of 2,1 and 1,1 and d1 would poke her back enough for her to safely crossover jump me or to d4 me a bunch of times then blocks things again. Thanks

My milleena ex telekick punish is d1~fan, dash 2~lift, double dash b2~fan, dash, fan, dash, 4~ cutter. If you're doing d1~ cutter as a punish you should try and learn this for some much need damage vs milleena.

You can't punish it the ex tele without the sai with d+1 fan
Idk if she does the sai, but the timing seems really strict, hard punishes can consist of d+1 ex fan, d+1 ex fan lift, d+1 regular fan lift

 

[TheChad_87]

Ah, Mileena ... if I may:

- EX Sai is -1 ... Given her sluggish normals, you definitely should be able to D1 Mileena into oblivion after it.
- Mileena has a tiny hitbox. Crossover punch on wake-up will beat all of Kitana's wake-up options if timed correctly.
- D4 spam should have Mileena eating a jkxxiAF into 30-40%.
- Anti-Crossup Roll in my specialty ... be prepared to eat one if you get predictable with crossovers.
- In fact, Mileena pretty much owns the air in general. Do not jump, ever. I mean it. EVER.
- Air control and whiff punishes are what she does. Be aware of that. Play safe, and stay grounded.

Follow-ups after an EN Sai are usually D4 or iAS. This is because staying grounded means eating a D4 and jumping means iAS into full combo. Walk backwards after an iAS.

Also be aware that you can punish D4 on whiff with F21 into 40+%.

 

[Mr. Mileena]

Ah, Mileena ... if I may:

- EX Sai is -1 ... Given her sluggish normals, you definitely should be able to D1 Mileena into oblivion after it.
- Mileena has a tiny hitbox. Crossover punch on wake-up will beat all of Kitana's wake-up options if timed correctly.
- D4 spam should have Mileena eating a jkxxiAF into 30-40%.
- Anti-Crossup Roll in my specialty ... be prepared to eat one if you get predictable with crossovers.
- In fact, Mileena pretty much owns the air in general. Do not jump, ever. I mean it. EVER.
- Air control and whiff punishes are what she does. Be aware of that. Play safe, and stay grounded.

Follow-ups after an EN Sai are usually D4 or iAS. This is because staying grounded means eating a D4 and jumping means iAS into full combo. Walk backwards after an iAS.

Also be aware that you can punish D4 on whiff with F21 into 40+%.

The Ex sai may be -1, but she's safe on block, and if she blocks a d+1 from Kitana, Kitana is at -15, so depending on the range, she can d3, check with 42, or walk back, or d4, etc.
I agree with everything you said, also, anti cross over and Anti Air rolls lose to jump kicks, so kitana can purposely jump at Mileena and bait out an AA roll and interrupt it with Jk into fan
Kitana can punish all D+4 whiffs with F2+1 as well

 

[TheChad_87]

Yeah. Roll is not nearly as good as many players make it out to be. Definitely not the answer to everything that some see it as. I still think It's worth throwing out against someone who gets predictable with crossovers. It's harder to kick it after you've already commited to a crossover.

I agree that it's a pretty shitty AA in general though. iASxxRoll is better for general AA use, imo. All day e'ery day ^_^

Edit: Just wanted to make it clear that I totally agree with you. Was just clarifying my original post more than anything.

 

[rev0lver]

I want to point out that f21 will not work every time against Mileena's d4 (same with Sonya) unless you're in perfect range. A lot of times f2 will hit but 1 will whiff, so if you're really reading it well you can do f2~ex fan.

 

[BillStickers]

I want to point out that f21 will not work every time against Mileena's d4 (same with Sonya) unless you're in perfect range. A lot of times f2 will hit but 1 will whiff, so if you're really reading it well you can do f2~ex fan.

I want to point out that everything seems to whiff with Mileena. I just got done dealing with a Mileena that ducked the entire match and got away with it -___-.

 

[Konqrr]

I want to point out that f21 will not work every time against Mileena's d4 (same with Sonya) unless you're in perfect range. A lot of times f2 will hit but 1 will whiff, so if you're really reading it well you can do f2~ex fan.

Sometimes, the EX fan does not combo. So lame.

 

[ragnar0kz28]

Im starting to think Sektor is a bad match for Kitana aswell I just dont know I like to zone, cant do it in this match, I like to jump, cant do it either because the flamethrower will get me, can only poke and hope he jumps so I can get him on reaction, I want some tips in this match plz.

 

[Mr. Mileena]

I want to point out that f21 will not work every time against Mileena's d4 (same with Sonya) unless you're in perfect range. A lot of times f2 will hit but 1 will whiff, so if you're really reading it well you can do f2~ex fan.

The kitana player needs to know their range, sometimes, I know the 1 will whiff, so i do f2 cutter, and then get a free jp. I know when I'm out of f2+1 range, and will still go for the f2 as it will punish them, and either cancel into cutter, or ass if i want to get out of the corner

 

[xKhaoTik]

Im starting to think Sektor is a bad match for Kitana aswell I just dont know I like to zone, cant do it in this match, I like to jump, cant do it either because the flamethrower will get me, can only poke and hope he jumps so I can get him on reaction, I want some tips in this match plz.

Rush. Iaf = iat from sektor. Jump = 6 frame Standing 1 AA from sektor. Your only option is to rush. Duck/block incoming missiles, block flamethrower, and be wary of his iat. He can zone her out, but not too bad. They both have incredible footsies and both do crazy damage. Sektor has shitty wakeups that can be punished by full combos and has to spend meter to wake up with his ex tele which leaves him at -6 on block and can also be NJP'd so keep that in mind. This match feels life lead based and both can get a big lead very early in the match. They both have the tools to counter each other so this is why I feel like its 5-5

 

[Gabriel032]

In my opinion:

Terrible MUs (chars that can shit all over Kitana)

Kabal - 7-3
Kenshi - 7-3

Bad MUs

Freddy - 6-4

Tough MUs, but closer to 5-5 than anything

Sonya - 5-5
Sektor - 5-5
Reptile - 5-5
Mileena - 5-5

Everything else is perfectly even or advantage for her.

That's why it's really not really good maining Sonya and Kitana. I main both, and they have essentially the same bad MUs. Sonya is my favorite char in this game, but Kitana is tons more fun to play with.

About the Mileena MU, once you have the life lead, she's screwed. Everything she does is extremely unsafe, so once you get the life lead, she has to take insane risks in order to win.

Thing with Reptile is, when getting close, you can't whiff anything, because good Reptiles you punish you on reaction. But once you're in, he's in big trouble, since all of his escape tools (Nomad Dash, EX Slide) are unsafe.

And the Sonya matchup might make Kitana play a bit differently, but she's one of the only chars that actually stand a chance against Sonya in the footsies range. Other than that, it's pretty even.

 

[ragnar0kz28]

In my opinion:

Terrible MUs (chars that can shit all over Kitana)

Kabal - 7-3
Kenshi - 7-3

Bad MUs

Freddy - 6-4

Tough MUs, but closer to 5-5 than anything

Sonya - 5-5
Sektor - 5-5
Reptile - 5-5
Mileena - 5-5

Everything else is perfectly even or advantage for her.

That's why it's really not really good maining Sonya and Kitana. I main both, and they have essentially the same bad MUs. Sonya is my favorite char in this game, but Kitana is tons more fun to play with.

About the Mileena MU, once you have the life lead, she's screwed. Everything she does is extremely unsafe, so once you get the life lead, she has to take insane risks in order to win.

Thing with Reptile is, when getting close, you can't whiff anything, because good Reptiles you punish you on reaction. But once you're in, he's in big trouble, since all of his escape tools (Nomad Dash, EX Slide) are unsafe.

And the Sonya matchup might make Kitana play a bit differently, but she's one of the only chars that actually stand a chance against Sonya in the footsies range. Other than that, it's pretty even.

Some people are not aware that Kabal is not that bad vs Kitana it can be a 5.5/4.5 if played correctly actually 2 stufs kabals dash you need to practice timing on practice mode but you can stop Kabal whit it up close and deal alot of damage, yes its risky but it will make them respect the 2

 

[PhilipGraves]

Thanks for the millena advice everyone, how about Kano upball?

 

[styroteqe]

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but I've just started playing Kitana. And I don't like playing cheap and scummy, but I do like how fast and tricky she is. What's everyone's go to move or trick to get out of the f'n corner though? I've been playing on the Vita alot, and I keep getting matched against some of the top people on the Leaderboards, and the consistently use Raiden. And I'll take a round but then they will get all pissed off and just keep 50/50'ing me into the corner. Sometimes I can get a D+3 in (which is a pretty awesome move actually, range is sick) but generally they just keep flopping me around like a fish. I guess in general my weakness is being in the corner, but are there any good strats to get Kitty out of there, or keep her out? Defensive square waves seem to work sometimes.. but not always.

 

[BillStickers]

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but I've just started playing Kitana. And I don't like playing cheap and scummy, but I do like how fast and tricky she is. What's everyone's go to move or trick to get out of the f'n corner though? I've been playing on the Vita alot, and I keep getting matched against some of the top people on the Leaderboards, and the consistently use Raiden. And I'll take a round but then they will get all pissed off and just keep 50/50'ing me into the corner. Sometimes I can get a D+3 in (which is a pretty awesome move actually, range is sick) but generally they just keep flopping me around like a fish. I guess in general my weakness is being in the corner, but are there any good strats to get Kitty out of there, or keep her out? Defensive square waves seem to work sometimes.. but not always.

Ever since the discovery of 20 invincibility frames on EX wakeup, it seems like EX Ass should be a good option. Downside is that you can be punished when you land o_____o.

 

[RTM2004]

It seems like EX Ass should be a good option. Downside is that you can be punished when you land o_____o.

Yeah, that definitely sucks... Kenshi's Spirit Charge, Reptile's Elbow Dash and Sonya's Dive Kick always get me.

Kitana vs Sonya is 4-6, it's really bad up close. The Dive Kick, D4 and Ex Cartwheel give Kitana problems. Then Sonya can outzone Kitana. It sucks. I played a Sonya player in the FOREVER clan last night, it was hard for Kitana to zone and keep Sonya out and approaching Sonya was scary as hell. New thing I learned my Jump Kick~Fan Toss was punished when I tried to hit Sonya's D4! Sonya blocked low then D1~Cartwheel punished me.
>.<

 

[ragnar0kz28]

welcome back fellow Kitana players.

 

[16 Bit]

Sweet we're back.

 

[Jimmypotato]

anybody find anything broken with her since TYM has been down?? lol No?? me neither Kenshi is still a dick,

D1 Cutter all day!!!!! Punish me!!! I dare you!!!

 

[xKhaoTik]

anybody find anything broken with her since TYM has been down?? lol No?? me neither Kenshi is still a dick,

D1 Cutter all day!!!!! Punish me!!! I dare you!!!

Me and Mr. Mileena are figuring out a way for her to escape crossups. So far the best way we've found was to just simply dash under the cross up attempt. He was also using square wave a bit and it worked quite a few times if timed right. I was using dash under 21 or dash under ex fan lift and it works as well, but its risky.

And yes, kenshi will forever be a cunt in the princess's eyes.